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28/Sep/17
Koeman Faces Huge Challenge To Reverse Everton's Poor Start

 
Everton Koeman Faces Huge Challenge
Source: TheBlueRoomEFC via Twitter
 


  Everton's poor start to the season is cause for concern for the club following their 4-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester United.

  The Toffees travelled to Old Trafford after suffering three defeats on the bounce in all competitions. Their afternoon got off to the worst possible start when Antonio Valencia fired the Red Devils ahead.

  Ronald Koeman's men did not fold under the pressure and held their own for the majority of the contest. However, United upped the ante in the closing stages of the game as Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial, and former Everton striker Romelu Lukaku found the net.

  Everton's start to the season will have seen their odds to finish in the top six drift, considering their summer investment saw the club touted to improve from their seventh-place finish.

  Therefore, it could be worth piling in a free punt with Betbright's offers for the value bet in case Koeman's men atone for their poor start. However, it could be a long way back after their defeat at Old Trafford.

  The loss itself was painful for the Toffees, but the fact that Lukaku found the scoresheet rubbed salt into the wound. The Belgian was the main man at Goodison Park for three seasons, becoming the club's all-time leading scorer in the Premier League.

  His departure was expected during the summer after the striker made his feelings clear that he wished to leave Everton. The club ensured that they maximised their value by receiving £75m for his services from United.

  Koeman was able to restock his squad with the money gained from the transfer. Glyfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane, Jordan Pickford, Sandro Ramirez, Davy Klaassen, and Wayne Rooney all arrived in an attempt to fill the void, while Ross Barkley remains at Goodison Park.

  Despite enjoying a solid start to the season by beating Stoke and only being denied three points against Manchester City by a late Raheem Sterling goal. However, since then, the Toffees have come off the rails and the hope built by their performance at the Etihad Stadium has been extinguished.

  Before the start of the term, there was talk that Everton could challenge for a place in the top six due to the quality of their signings. Defeats to Chelsea, Tottenham, and United have dampened those expectations, but perhaps more worrying for Koeman's men was the manner of the losses.
 
Koeman To Reverse Everton's Poor Start
Source: Vanessa Giertz via Twitter
 


  Everton failed to score in each of their defeats, failing to land a glove on their opponents. They've scored only two goals in their opening five matches of the campaign, with Rooney scoring both efforts.

  The Toffees have been lacklustre in the final third, only Swansea have attempted fewer shots on targets than them thus far this season.

  They have the talent to amend that fact, but with Sandro adjusting to life in the Premier League and Rooney's off-the-field behaviour acting as a potential distraction - it may take time for the Merseysiders to click into gear.

  The problems have been just as bad if not worse at the other end of the pitch. Everton's defensive performance against Spurs were extremely poor on home soil, allowing the North London outfit to dictate the terms of play in the final third.

  Koeman's men were downright awful at the back in their defeat at the hands of Atalanta in the Europa League. The Serie A side cut through them with ease to score three goals in the first half.

  Talent is not the issue for the Toffees and the Dutchman has to find a resolution soon - otherwise, his side will be out of Europe and fortunate to finish in the top half of the Premier League.
 
 

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